Sweet & Sour Pork Chops

This was last night's dinner.

**Source**Taste of Home Magazine

Ingredients

1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, undrained

1 cup honey barbecue sauce

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

2 tbsps chili sauce

4 bone-in pork loin chops (3/4 inch thick and 8 oz each)

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the pineapple, barbecue sauce, onion and chili sauce. Pour half into a greased 3 quart slow cooker. Top with the pork chops and remaining sauce. Cover and cook on low for 4-1/4 to 5-1/4 hours or until meat is tender.

Notes

We found the chops to be flavorful and tender, but a little on the spicy side. Next time I think I will use only 1 tbsp of chili sauce. We served this with whole grain brown rice and sauteed wild mushrooms, carrots, & spinach.

Revelation

We've been battling with Gavin's behavior for quite awhile now. The temper. The open defiance. The taking of anything that doesn't belong to him and isn't nailed down. The lying. I could go on, but I don't want you to think that he's a horrible child; because he's not. Gavin is sweet, funny, smart, and a joy to be around most of the time. But when he experiences one of his episodes, it's like someone has replaced my sweet boy with a demon-child!

From about the beginning of Spring Break we noticed subtle differences in Gavin's behavior. He responded better to requests/directions and had fewer outbursts. He was even "stealing" things less. Eureka!

Or so we thought.

A little while ago I cut almost all processed foods out of our family's diet. I didn't want it in the house anymore. No more hot dogs, Kraft Dinner, sugary cereals, etc. My reasoning actually had very little to do with Gavin's behavior and more to do with the fact that I wanted us to eat healthier as a family.

Thinking back now I believe that's when we began to notice Gavin's calmer demeanor.

Last week things were a little tight and we ended up having to pick up some Kraft Dinner and Fruit Loops because it was cheap and we were limited.

Let me tell you...

The last week and a half has been HELL with Gavin. We were back at square one - not listening to anything, "stealing" everything, lying, blaming everything on Chloe, tormenting Chloe, etc. This past weekend was the worst, and the situation definitely brought out some of my worst parenting qualities.

Yesterday Gavin went back to school and decided he didn't need to go inside when the bell rang to start the day. Instead he chose to hide under a bench outside, scaring the staff that was unable to locate him. When he finally came inside, rather than sitting down and getting to work, he chose to show his classmates the new rock he found outside. His reward for all of this was that he lost his recesses for the rest of the day. I talked to him about his behavior when he came home for lunch and he promised he would try and do better. In opposition of what he told me at home, once I took him back to school he stood in the middle of the hallway and yelled at me when I tried to take him to his classroom.

Back at home, perplexed as to the recent turnaround in Gavin's behavior, I started making a mental list of possible triggers. The only thing that really stuck out to me is that we bought Kraft Dinner and Fruit Loops last week.

So this morning there were no Fruit Loops to be had.

I have to go pick Gavin up for lunch shortly, and I'm hoping that today is better than yesterday.

Mayonnaise Chicken

Ingredients:

1 c mayonnaise (use whatever brand/type you like)

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp dried basil

4 chicken thighs

Directions:

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl and brush over chicken. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes to an hour.

Notes:

The chicken was juicy, tender, and tasty. But I think it would taste even better if one were to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have marinated for at least an hour. I served this with whole grain brown rice and sauteed veggies.

Christina's Easy Pasta

I made this from scratch, and it was great…I’m not going to put ingredient amounts, because I only eye-balled it. Furthermore, use these ingredients only as a base…you can add anything else you may want to. As well, you may add a little cornstarch or tomato paste to thicken it to your liking as it was quite liquid-y.

garlic cloves

carrots

canned whole tomatoes with herbs

ground beef

pasta (I used elbow pasta, but just about anything would work)

seasonings

Procedure

Start browning beef. Peel carrots and cut into small pieces. Boil until cooked but not mushy. In a food processor or blender, process peeled garlic cloves with a little bit of oil until finely chopped. Add cooked carrots and process until they are finely chopped, but not pureed. Begin adding tomatoes from can one at a time, processing between each. At this time you can also add any additional seasonings. Pour tomato mixture into a small pot to warm. Add juice from can. Add sauce to beef once it has been browned and drained; heat until warmed through and all flavors have had a chance to meld. Serve over prepared pasta with fresh garlic bread and caesar salad.

*Sorry there's no picture - my camera battery died!